National Women MPS

Women have never comprised more than 30% of the membership of national parliaments in Forum Islands Countries since Independence, and the percentage of women in Pacific parliaments currently hovers at 7.2% (as of December 2017).

Regional Trends:

Pacific Women MPs

2013

2014

2015

2016

As at Dec 2017

Numbers

26

32

30

35

40

%

4.7%

5.7%

5.4%

6.3%

7.2%

Representation at sub-national decision-making is at similarly low levels. In comparison, the Inter-Parliamentary Union reports that the world average of all elected members (as of 1st July 2017) is 23.5% women and 76.5% men.

In Pacific Islands Forum countries, not including Australia and New Zealand, as of December 2017, there are only 40 women MPs out of 559 MPs altogether who are currently sitting in their national legislatures.

Countries

Number of MPs

Number of Women

Fiji

50

7

Kiribati

46

3

Niue

20

5

PNG

111

0

Palau

29*

4

Cook Islands

24

4

Samoa

50

5***

Tuvalu

15

1

Tonga

26**

2

Marshall Islands

33

3

Solomon Islands

50

1

Nauru

19

2

Tokelau

20

3

Federated States of Micronesia

14

0

Vanuatu

52

0

* This number refers to both Houses of Congress in Palau – the House of Delegates with 16 members, and the House of Senate with 13 members.

** This includes the elected representatives of the Nobles (9 members) and the people (17 members).

*** This includes the 4 elected women representatives together with the next highest polling woman included as part of Samoa’s ‘special measure’ for 10% of womens representation in Parliament.